Nation: Who Lost Afghanistan?

The virtual annexation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union represents not
only a strategic setback for the U.S. but a potential political
liability for Jimmy Carter as well. TIME Diplomatic Correspondent
Strobe Talbott examines the historical background of the crisis:

The question "Who lost Afghanistan?" is
probably inevitable in the presidential campaign, if only because it
echoes last year's refrains of "Who lost Iran?" and "Who lost
Nicaragua?" The temptation to blame Jimmy Carter is
understandableand, for his critics, irresistible. After all, even
though his predecessors...